TRAIN Programming Outline

Below is an outline of the programming goals of TRAIN for the coming year. This program was created with the intention of providing well-rounded and efficient programming for the ultra-busy person. Our goal is not to produce competitive athletes, but to prepare members to be ready for anything life throws their way, any time of the year. However, we do recognize the benefit of having a goal to focus our training, and the CrossFit Games Open provides a natural target for us to work towards. The Open offers an opportunity for us to test our personal progress and re-evaluate our training goals each year. The cornerstone of our programming will always be general physical preparedness, or classic CrossFit, but we will shape the remainder of our 60-minute training sessions to meet different goals depending on the time of year. Below is an outline of the four major phases of training we will complete and what you can expect with each:

Phase 1: Refining Phase

22 Weeks/2 benchmark weeks + 5 four-week cycles (April – August)

TheRefining Phaseis an opportunity to take a step back to refine our technique and work towards new skills. It’s easy to get caught up in competition and PRs, but we’re all in this for the long haul – we want to be functional as we age well into our older years. In order to make that happen, significant time must be spent developing our technique and making sure we are moving well before adding load or intensity. This takes time, and with our ultra-busy schedules we are often short on that precious resource. The bulk of our hour will still be filled with well-rounded GPP workouts including a variety of skills, time domains, and loading, and we’ll continue to test one benchmark workout per week throughout the Refining Phase.

Benchmarks – 2 Weeks

We’ll begin our Refining Phasewith 2 weeks of benchmark workouts and 1 RM lifts. This is not meant to be stressful, but to give us an opportunity to establish some baseline numbers for the year. You’ll see these benchmark workouts again regularly throughout the year and you can use them to track your progress. You’ll use the 1 RM lift information to guide your loading in the coming weeks and months.

Lifting Cycle – 5 Cycles, 4 Weeks Each

During the Refining Phase, our lifting cycles will be specifically focused around developing strength in the front squat and back squat. We’ll incorporate 1 front squat and 1 back squat session per week, and we’ll spend a lot of time working on improving our technique as well as strength with different types of squats such as tempo squats and box squats. Every 4 weeks we will have a “deload” week without these squat sessions – this will allow our bodies some time to recover between cycles. Other lifts including deadlifts, overhead squats, and presses will be incorporated periodically throughout the cycles and in our GPP workouts.

Gymnastics skills – 1 focus per month

Each month during the Refining Phase, we will place a special focus on one gymnastics skill set. You’ll see more drills and time dedicated to practicing this skill throughout the month, and there will be one “Challenge Week” during the month related to that skill.

Month 1 – Handstand walk (Handstand Hold)

Month 2 – Rope Climb (Pull Up, Toes to Bar)

Month 3 – Double Under

Month 4 – Handstand Push-Up

Month 5 – Muscle Up (Pull Up / Dip)

Olympic Lifting – 1 session per week

We’ll incorporate one dedicated Olympic lifting session (either Clean and Jerk or Snatch) per week. These lifting sessions will be more involved than during the remainder of the year, incorporating regular accessory drills.

Endurance – 1 session per week

During the Refining Phase, we’ll incorporate 1 endurance session per week – either running, rowing, or biking. If we are running, you may wish to complete this training day at a track if that is available to you.

Phase 2: Building Phase

12 weeks/3 four-week cycles (September – November)

After several months refining our technique, we will begin to add more load and volume in the major lifts and develop our body’s durability. The Building Phasewill include 4-week strength cycles including the major squats, deadlift as well as overhead presses. We will also continue to build strength for gymnastics movements with strict weighted pull-ups and dips, and we will spend focused time on Olympic lifting each week. The core of the programming will continue to be GPP workouts covering the full gamut of weightlifting, gymnastics, and monostructural skills, and we will continue to test one benchmark workout per week.

Phase 3: Acceleration Phase

12 weeks/3 four-week cycles (December-February)

Once we have built a strong foundation of technique and strength, we will start to increase the intensity with the Acceleration Phaseof the program. Here our lifting cycles will be completed with very little rest, but we will continue to see gains in strength in upper and lower body movements (FSQ, BSQ, DL, Pull-Up, Dip, and Overhead Press). We will spend time training more complex strict gymnastics movements (muscle-ups, handstand push-ups), Olympic lifting, and endurance every week. Our weekly benchmark workout tests during this phase will be largely composed of previous Open workouts as we approach the CrossFit Games Open season.

Phase 4: Testing Phase

6 weeks (February – March)

TheTesting Phaseis the fun part – this is where we get to measure our progress over the past year. We will decrease our volume with the start of the CrossFit Games Open, and the Open workouts will be programmed as our weekly benchmark on Fridays. We will continue an abbreviated strength cycle to maintain our strength throughout the Open, and we will train the full spectrum of skills during this time period in our GPP workouts. The week after the Open will be a traditional “deload” week.